NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: Suspicion (1)
Duan Yixin scanned the dilapidated thatched house and said, "It seems that I need to repair the house before I can live in it."
Chi Xinru nodded in agreement and said, "Before the bandits attacked our village, I told you to repair the house multiple times. But you were always reluctant to spend money because you wanted to give the money you earned from selling your embroidery to that scumbag Tang Zizheng."
Listening to her words, Duan Yixin raised her eyebrows slightly and asked, "Why would I do that?"
Chi Xinru shrugged and said, "Who knows? Maybe it's because you like him or because you think you will live a wealthy life after he becomes a scholar or an official. Anyway, I don't know what you thought in the past because whenever I brought it up, you always changed the subject. But now that you two have broken off your marriage engagement, you'd better stay away from him. He is not a good man."
Sensing that Chi Xinru really dislikes Tang Zizheng, Duan Yixin thought to herself, 'There is something fishy about this. I don't think the owner of this body likes that Tang Zizheng. But if that is the case, what reason does she have to support him to this extent? Could it be that the owner of this body, as Xinru said, is a vain woman who aimed for a wealthy life?'
Just as she was thinking about it, Chi Xinru pushed open the low wooden door and said, "We'd better hurry up so we can finish the cleaning early."
Hearing what she said, Duan Yixin nodded, and the two of them rolled up their sleeves and started cleaning the house and courtyard. The two were busy working, and time passed so quickly.
When Madam Chi came, it was already two hours later. Seeing the clean and tidy courtyard, she called her daughter and Duan Yixin, "Ru'er, Xin Xin, come out and eat first."
Inside the house, Chi Xinru heard her mother's voice. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, straightened her waist, and said, "Xin Xin, my mother is here. Let's eat together."
Duan Yixin wiped the sweat off her forehead and said, "All right."
When they walked out of the house, they saw that Madam Chi had already taken out the food from a small bamboo basket and put it on the old wooden table in the yard. She saw them and said, "Come here quickly and eat while it's hot."
Chi Xinru's eyes lit up when she saw freshly baked coarse flour pancakes and a plate of pickled vegetables. She hurried to the well beside the house to wash her hands. Seeing that she was in a hurry to eat, Duan Yixin looked at Chi Xinru thoughtfully.
Seeing that her best friend was still standing there motionless, Chi Xinru said, "Xin Xin, hurry up, or I will eat all the pancakes."
Duan Yixin watched Chi Xinru eating like a hungry ghost and calmly went to the well to wash her hands. As she filled an old wooden basin with the well water, she looked at the reflection in the water. Duan Yixin was not surprised when she saw a face that was similar to her own but younger.
Since she could wake up in this body, she had already guessed that this body should be somewhat similar to her own. But when she saw the identical face on the water, she was still fascinated by the mystery of the universe.
She looked at her reflection on the water's surface and thought, 'If I find someone who looks similar to Captain Yu, my teacher, and my friends, how do I distinguish them from the person I'm looking for and the people from this world?'
While she was deep in thought, Chi Xinru raised her eyes and saw her looking thoughtfully at her reflection in the water. She swallowed the pancake and asked curiously, "Xin Xin, what are you doing? Are you not hungry?"
Hearing Chi Xinru's question, Duan Yixin came back from her thoughts. She smiled at her and said, "Nothing. I just have a slight headache."
After saying that, she washed her face and hands while Chi Xinru looked at her thoughtfully. Seeing that her daughter only half of her usual portion, Madam Chi asked in worry, "Ru'er, why don't you eat more?"
Chi Xinru looked away from Duan Yixin, turned to her mother, and whispered, "Mother, don't you think Xin Xin is very different from before she lost her memory?"
Madam Chi looked at Duan Yixin for a moment, then at her daughter, and said, "She has lost her memory, and it is normal for her to behave differently than usual."
Seeing that her daughter was still staring at Duan Yixin with a frown on her face, Madam Chi flicked her forehead and said, "Stop thinking wildly and eat your food."
Chi Xinru rubbed her forehead and took a bite of the pancake, but she still couldn't get rid of the strange feeling that Duan Yixin was not her best friend. Even if a person loses her memory, her personality remains the same to some extent. But after Duan Yixin lost her memory, her personality also changed a lot, and it seemed that she was a different person from the Duan Yixin she knew.
Chi Xinru shook her head, thinking that she must have been frightened and lost her mind. When Duan Yixin sat down opposite her, Chi Xinru secretly observed her. When she saw Duan Yixin picking up a piece of pickled cabbage, her eyes flickered.
The Duan Yixin she knew couldn't even stand the sour smell of vinegar. But this Duan Yixin could eat the pickled vegetables calmly without even frowning. Based on this fact alone, she was almost sure that this young woman was probably not her best friend.
But if she is not her best friend, then where is the real Duan Yixin? What is her purpose for disguising herself as Duan Yixin? Chi Xinru was sure that there was nothing worth coveting from her or anyone in this Yunshan Village.